Cous Cous

(Nigella Bites)

Cous cous might sound overly simple, even if it is a Tuesday night. But given my day started at 4.30am (teeth - not mine) and involved flat out work and meetings before putting the baboushka to bed, frankly it's a miracle I didn't just dial the local takeaway instead.

And of course, it wasn't just cous cous. This is cous cous Nigella style, toasted almonds, pine nuts, bruised cardamom pods. It did occur to me, as I dutifuly crushed pistachios at 8.15pm , that I too may be nuts - but by then it was too late to turn back.

My accompaniment? Not the suggested lamb shanks (I am not big on lamb shanks) but Evelyn Rose's biblical chicken. A recipe chosen mainly because I had all the ingredients. And partly because it involved slaking cornflour and I thought slaking might be more fun than it actually was. Biblical chicken, therefore, though with boneless breast fillets because that's what I had. And no oranges thrown in at the end because I hadn't read that far in the recipe and had therefore forgotten to purchase.

Served with fine beans, and proving to be altogether a finer supper than a rainy Tuesday evening deserves

Note: Cous Cous - a post script

I should mention that for the non nut fan there is an alternative recipe in Feast. But it features ground cumin.

Loving Indian food, Moroccan food etc etc, I know I should like ground cumin. But i don't. So there you go